


Lost and Found (My Way To You)

by mermaidpen



Category: One Piece, TikTok - Fandom
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, F/M, Manga & Anime, New World (One Piece), Sad with a Happy Ending, TikTok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermaidpen/pseuds/mermaidpen
Summary: Landing on a mysterious island in the New World, Zoro embarks on his own ahead of the crew and ends up getting lost. While taking shelter in a cave he discovered, things started to get weird and all of a sudden, he finds himself in a weird room with a woman who had the same swords as his.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/ Ember(TikTok), Roronoa Zoro/Wagyuubeeef
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you see this, hi Senpai! I am such a big fan of yours and I love your content so much! Everyone's been giving gifts and all but sadly I'm broke AF (lmao) so this is the only way I could think of to show how I really admire you, as your content makes me happy that I look forward to your videos every day. I hope you like it!

"Damn island, messing around with me," Zoro muttered angrily, swinging Wado here and there to cut off the plants in his way.

It was getting dark, and he knew it'd be dangerous to be out in unknown territory, so it's either miraculously finding his way back to the Sunny or finding shelter for the night.

•|•

They have just docked the ship on this large island, after weeks of sailing in the New World. Everyone gathered around the deck, observing the view from there.

"And here we are, on another 'fun' island that our _dearest_ captain said where we should go," Nami declared in an obvious sarcastic tone.

Usopp scooted over to her and whispered in her ear. "He saw the Log Pose, didn't he?"

"Well duh," She deadpanned. "It's useless now anyway. We're here."

Luffy was in a very jolly mood, jumping up and down in excitement, fighting the strong urge to just rocket himself to the island. "I smell adventure! Sanji-"

"You didn't need to tell me, shitty captain," Sanji huffed out smoke from his newly lit cigarette. "But this island doesn't really look that bad. What's the issue?"

"It's because it's the island I recently read about in a book I have. The book's title was 'Islands of Mystery and Horror'," Robin replied, showing the book for everyone else to see.

"No wonder they sound scared," Franky mused. "Knowing the book's title is enough."

"'Mystery and Horror' huh? The words already gave me goosebumps. But oh, I don't have any skin to have goosebumps! Yohohohohoho!" Brook laughed in his cheery mood.

Robin walked towards the railing and looked at the island as she soon continued. "Luckily, this island doesn't have the 'horror'-"

Usopp, Nami, and Chopper let out a relieved sigh.

"-but it _is_ the most mysterious island in the book, yet to be fully discovered due to certain reasons," She hummed, and the three scaredy-cats cried in fear.

"Robin, stop scaring them. It's broad daylight for goodness sake," Franky said.

"Ne, ne, Robin! What kind of mystery do you mean?" Luffy pranced around her, unfazed by what she just said and was instead attracted to it even more.

"Well, I read that there have been a few explorations done over the past few years, but whenever people go to this island, they mysteriously disappear," She replied.

"Disappear?! That's bad stuff!" Usopp cried hysterically. "Let's get off already! Why do we always go for the worst ones?!"

"You need to chill sometimes," Zoro said, an excited smirk on his face. "Places like _these_ are the most fun."

"Right?" Luffy nudged his elbow to Zoro's side in agreement. "We don't know what kind of adventures await for us here!"

Suddenly, Zoro jumped off Sunny and began walking towards the island. "I'm not wasting any more time. I'll be going ahead."

"Wait wait wait a damn minute, Zoro!" Usopp yelled, pointing a finger at him. "Why are you in such a hurry?!"

"I'm not," He retorted. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be right back."

Sanji scoffed, stifling a laugh. "Right back, he says."

"Oi Zoro! Wait for me-" Luffy called, but was stopped by Usopp. "No! The both of you together means chaos and we don't know what's in there yet?! You might get us cursed or something!"

"Curses only exist in the horror islands," Robin said.

"I didn't ask!" He snapped.

"I swear you're gonna get lost again," Nami muttered rather loudly, wanting Zoro to hear her.

"I don't!" He snapped, then walked away, ignoring the teasing from his crew.

Which now brings us to his current predicament. He had wandered off at a far distance from the Sunny now, and the sky wasn't being friendly either.

A loud rumble could be heard, and cold air blew against him.

"So this place is pretty much uninhabited after all," He mused. "Gotta find somewhere to stay-Oh!"

He luckily spotted a large cave. Not wanting to stay out any longer, he rushed to it and entered the opening without any hint of fear.

It was dry and not many plants were growing nearby it, rather making it stand out completely. He didn't bother knowing how deep is it, immediately sitting down and making himself comfortable, not bothering to start a fire.

Slowly, the rain came, and Zoro had to hide deeper into the cave to avoid getting wet.

"Just my luck," He scoffed.

Out of nowhere, a bright light caught his eye, coming from further deep into the cave.

"The fuck is that?" He muttered, although his curiosity had already taken over his body as he stood up and walked towards it in slow, alert strides, with Wado unsheathed in his grip and ready to be swung when an enemy makes his presence.

When he got closer to the source of the bright light, he saw that it was a swirling force of something like magic, vivid colors floating around it. There was a weird energy drawing him in, and before he could grasp what it was or what was happening, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.

It looked like a bedroom, or perhaps it really was. Zoro was too dazed and confused to figure it out.

There was a bed, bounties and other photos stuck on the wall.

But that was not what he saw first.

There was someone else with him there.

In front of him was a woman with short white hair, wearing a black crop top and shorts. She wore glasses in her face and tattoos decorated her beautiful figure. In her hands were three oh so familiar swords, and he briefly looked down to his side and saw that he still have his own.

The woman was just as surprised as him, her mouth gaping open and her eyes wide they might fall out of her sockets.

"Zo...ro?" She gasped out.


	2. Chapter 2

"Zo...ro?"

Ember stared blankly at the man standing before him right now. She can't be mistaken; bright green hair like moss, a scar across his left eye and another peeking through his exposed chest, three swords on his side, that handsome face she had fallen for. She can't be mistaken; she knows that look from whatever angle.

It's definitely Roronoa Zoro.

But there's no way it'd be him.

That's impossible.

"Where am I?" Zoro asked, looking around the room.

She started to move towards her, and at the same time, Zoro took a step back. His hands immediately reached to the hilt of his swords, which was enough to warn Ember that he's not being friendly right now.

"Woah wait chill man! I'm not an enemy!" She raised her hands up defensively.

"Who are you? And where the hell am I?!" He demanded as he aimed his sword at her, getting confused.

"I'm Ember, and you're in my room right now," She answered and eyed the sword carefully. "C-Can you put the sword down?"

Zoro eyed her up and down, though a very faint blush creeped up to his cheeks when he realized she was kinda pretty. Shaking his head, he relaxed and started walking around to observe the room, something catching his attention.

"Why do you have our bounties- is that me?!" He saw a pillow on the bed, but the pillow had his picture printed on it, and he was even in a seductive pose.

Before he could get closer to it, a fast breeze passed by him and suddenly Ember was on the bed, laying over said pillow so that he couldn't see it anymore.

"W-What's you? Hahaha this is nothing!" Ember chuckled nervously with a mad blush, averting her gaze off to somewhere else.

Zoro narrowed his eyes and saw another photo of him on the wall. He was in his Santoryuu pose and his black bandana was on his head.

Then he remembered what he saw earlier and turned around to see three swords on the floor, very identical to his.

"Oi, why do you have these?" Zoro asked, referring to the swords.

Ember looked to what he was talking about and hesitantly answered. "I-I'm your fan."

"Fan?" He tilted his head to his side, then let out a breath of realization. "Oh, someone like Barto. But how-"

Before he could ask another question, a sudden wave of exhaustion took over him, putting a hand over his head, his sight blurring. A deafening noise rang in his ear.

"Z-Zoro?" Ember called, seeing him starting to sway. Suddenly he collapsed, and Ember scurried over to him and caught him right before he hit his head on the ground.

"Zoro! Hey!" She tried shaking him awake, but he was out of it.

"Fucking son of a bitch," She grunted, trying to lift him up with all her strength, then remembering where the extra weight is from. Slowly, she took his swords off and put them carefully on the floor, then tried standing up with his one arm over him. She dragged him to the bed and set him down carefully, then arranged him into a comfortable position. After that, she draped her blanket over him, and stepped backwards to take a good look at the sleeping man on her bed and fully register what just happened.

"I'm dreaming right now, I'm definitely dreaming," she murmured under her breath. Bringing her hand upwards, she slapped herself and immediately whined at the flaring pain in her cheek.

"Nope, not a dream. SO HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN?!" She cried to herself. "This is clearly impossible! Roronoa Zoro in my fucking bed is-"

She snapped her head to his sleeping form, and hesitantly poked his arm.

"Holy shit he _is_ real!" She freaked out once more. Grabbing her phone, she was about to tell her friends about it but then, for a moment, she hesitated.

Somehow, she found herself going out of her room and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. After that, she went back, and Zoro was still there.

So he definitely _is_ real.

Ember slid down onto the floor, completely speechless, registering the events just now. Running a hand through her silver hair, all she could manage to voice out was a weak chuckle.

"My anime husband just came into life."

•|•

Usopp anxiously paced around the room. Sanji was getting annoyed, so he sighed and said, "Usopp, calm down. That idiot will be fine."

"It's a freaking storm, Sanji! How the hell can I just calm down with one of our crewmates is out there?" He retorted. "I-I know Zoro's tough and all, but with all that going on outside-"

"He'll be fine, I know it," Nami cut him off, taking a sip of her hot cocoa afterwards. "We'll look for him tommorow. He survived through worse. I'm sure he'll be okay."

"I-If you say so," Usopp sighed in defeat, dragging himself to the couch and flopped heavily. Nami took a quick glance at Usopp, and her own brows creased in worry. Sanji noticed it, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I doubt you truly believe what you just said," He said with a low chuckle.

"This is the strongest storm we encountered so far, and we're lucky we docked at stable ground, or else we would've been dancing along the strong waves," She replied.

"You should get some sleep now. Robin-chan's already in your room. And the other boys are in their bunks," He convinced, and she nodded, taking her leave towards her room, leaving him and Usopp there.

 _You better be doing fine, idiot_ _marimo. I have to beat you up for worrying the ladies_ _,_ Sanji thought to himself.

•|•

Zoro let out a low moan of discomfort as he slowly came to consciousness. His eyes flickered open, and the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Zoro?"

 _Who's voice is that?_ He thought to himself as he scanned his surroundings, then saw a woman by his bedside.

"You're finally awake!" She smiled.

"The...hell?" He sat up, a hand on his throbbing head. "So I'm still here huh? Guess this ain't a dream."

"Huh. I thought so too, but here we are," Ember then took a plate of food and handed out to him. "I bet you're hungry, so I cooked you something."

"...Thanks," He accepted and began eating.

"There's more if you like. But I'm sure it's not as good as Sanji's cooking."

Hearing his name made Zoro stop. "You know the cook?"

"Of course I do! I know all about you guys," She replied. "You're all amazing pirates searching for the One Piece, sailing through the New World."

Zoro's trust issues ticked a bit, just realizing he had unknowingly lowered his guard when she offered food. He also remembered he never told her his name. 

_Suspicious._

Ember noticed the distrustful aura, so she spoke up. "Don't worry! I mean you no harm, I swear. I can leave you alone if you like," and she was about to stand up when Zoro suddenly grabbed her hand, surprising her.

"N-No, it's okay. You can stay here with me."

A blushed smirk appeared in Ember's face, then sat back down. "Well, technically, this _is_ my room in the first place, but if you say so."

Zoro soon finished his meal, and Ember took the plates down to her kitchen. He walked around her room like he did earlier, and just saw the turtles she kept in her room. Looking outside, it was pretty dark now, and only a few stars were visible.

"Hey!"

He turned around and swiftly caught a bottle of alcohol thrown to him.

"Your reflexes really are good, as expected from the soon-to-be greatest swordsman," She grinned, a can in her hand.

"You even know about that?" Zoro opened the bottle and took a sip to taste it, which he like and then chugged it down.

"As I said, I'm a fan," She drank her can of beer. "While you're still sober, or while _I_ still am, I should tell you about this place, or rather, about this world."

"Wait, w-world?" Zoro widened his eyes.

"Yeah," She sat down on a chair, drinking before she started. "You're in another world. I thought you should know it sooner. This is a world you're not supposed to exist in."

"The hell do you mean by that?!" He spat.

"This is the 'real world', and by my analysis, you probably stumbled upon a portal and crossed dimensions, appearing here."

 _But really, of all places, in my bedroom?_ Ember thought with a disbelieving chuckle.

"In this world, you guys are characters of a famous manga, or story, something like that. Its title is One Piece, which I'm a big fan of," She added. "Which is why I know all about you. What your past was, your dreams, what you like and what you don't, stuff like that."

"That sounds crazy," Was all he said so far.

"I'm impressed you're taking this lightly though," She mused. "And I'm lowkey glad you're having a bit of trust in me."

"I don't have a choice either way. If this is a different world, I gotta take my chances into getting help from someone who knows this place. Plus, I can beat your ass up easily if you try to mess with me," Zoro bragged.

"Oh, no worries, I never dreamed of fighting you. Rather, I..." She looked away.

Zoro hummed suspiciously at her, then ignored the unfinished sentence.

"I really thought you'd be more untrusting though," She chuckled.

"Your aura is not dangerous, so I figured it's fine to trust you," He replied. "So, how do I get out of here?"

"Dude, I don't even know how you actually got _in_ here," She scoffed, putting the can of beer away, and went out of the room. Zoro got a bit dismayed with her answer, but just shrugged off his worries and finished drinking.

He looked up at the night sky and got lost in thought, wondering if the crew's worried for him right now. But nah, Sanji must be laughing because he's lost again, in another world even!

"Zoro, here," He turned around to see Ember with a handful of clothes. "These are my brother's, and I don't know if they'd fit, but you really need to change your clothes."

Zoro looked at his own clothes and just realized that they were quite soiled, probably when he snuck into that cave back then.

"That cave..." He muttered.

"What?"

"N-Nothing, thanks," He took the clothes and began stripping as Ember dashed off the room.

"What's up with you?" Zoro raised a brow.

"D-Don't just strip in front of me!" Ember blushed madly, covering her face with her hands.

A few moments later, Zoro finished changing clothes and settled himself comfortably on the floor as Ember went back in.

She offered him to just sleep on the bed but he ignored her, soft snores soon coming out from him.

"At least use a pillow," She huffed, grabbing a pillow and her own blanket from the bed, slowly lifting up his head and pulling the pillow under.

He was completely out of it, not even getting disturbed at the movement. She then draped the blanket over him and gave him a soft pat. Sitting right beside him, she then gazed at the bright moon visible from her window.

"If this really is a dream, I don't wanna wake up right now. Good night, Zoro."

Digging through her pockets, she took out her phone, before glancing shortly at Zoro, sleeping soundly.

"Hey Jeff? Can we talk tomorrow?"

•|•

"We've looked everywhere," Nami said disappointedly.

The storm had passed the next morning and now the crew split up into small groups to quicken the search for Zoro. They went everywhere but no sign of him was found.

"Sanji-kun, Franky, what's your status?" Nami asked over the small Den Den Mushi she had.

"No sign of the idiot marimo so far, Nami-san," Sanji replied, even sounding a bit worried.

 _"Usopp! I smell a trace!"_ They heard Chopper's voice from a distance.

"Chopper said he smelled a trace!" Franky repeated, rushing over to where the boys are.

"Copy that! Where are you?" Nami and Sanji asked in unison.

Usopp then shot a flare in the sky to pinpoint their location for the others.

"Luffy!" Robin called him, who was high up in the trees. "Franky's group found a scent trace!"

Luffy whipped his head down to Robin and then jumped off the tree, landing right beside the girls.

"Where?"

"There!" Nami pointed. "Usopp shot up a location!"

Everyone soon gathered at where the leading group was; in front of a large cave covered in moss and dirt.

Franky and Usopp were at the entrance waiting for Chopper, who went on in ahead.

"Here?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," Franky replied. "Chopper said he could smell his scent here."

"Guys!" On cue, they heard Chopper's call. "Come look!"

Without another word, everyone went in and walked to where Chopper was. But when they saw him, they were all confused.

"The trail stops here," Chopper patted a hoof on the stone wall.

"It's a dead end?" Sanji gasped.

"Well then where is he?" Luffy looked around.

"Maybe he already went outside after the rain stopped?" Franky suggested.

Nami shook her head. "That's impossible. If he did, we would've found him already."

"Indeed, although remember his sense of direction is non-existent–"

"You sure are straightforward, Robin," Usopp sweatdropped.

"–which means that he could be anywhere by now," Robin suggested.

"We've covered the whole island, there's no way we could miss him," Franky argued.

Suddenly, Luffy spoke. "I don't sense him anywhere here."

The rest of the crew turned to him. They noticed the serious look on his face.

"You used your Haki?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah, and I can't sense him at all," He replied, losing hope.

"Where are you, Zoro?"


	3. Chapter 3

Warm rays of sunlight tickled Zoro's skin, slowly waking him up to a late morning.

He looked around for Ember, only to find out that he's all alone in the room. The smell of food wafted out from the table, and there he saw a plate of eggs, bacon, rice, a glass of water, and a small note that says:

_If you can read this, DO NOT GO OUT OF THIS ROOM. STAY HERE UNTIL I GET BACK. I'll bring sake._

Although he did see the note as he picked up the plate of food, he didn't even bother to read it.

"Wonder when she'll return," Zoro said as he ate breakfast. Meanwhile, on her way to work, Jeffery finally answered Ember's FaceTime call.

"You know we could just talk longer later right? And you're driving! What if you get in an accident?"

"Well thanks for telling me off but my mind is sharper than ever," Ember replied without taking her eyes off the road. "I probably won't be able to get in touch with you tonight, check the photos I sent then you'll know."

There was a short silence as she let Jeff view the photos, then he soon spoke.

"Wow!"

"I know right?!"

"Who's the artist? Are you kidding me?! This fanart looks so sick!" He exclaimed.

She was totally not expecting that kind of reaction.

"The realistic style is awesome! Or wait, is this _your_ work?! Your skills went a dr–"

"Jeff, Jeff! That's not fanart," She cut him off. "It's real!"

Another moment of silence went off.

"You–You invited a man- er, wait- a Zoro cosplayer in your own damn room?!" Jeff gasped.

"Jeff listen! That guy definitely is no cosplayer, h-he's the real thing! That right there is Roronoa Zoro, who just popped out of nowhere AND in my room of all places," She explained.

"Hey Ember, how high are you right now?"

"Jeff, believe me!" She demanded, finally arriving at the salon's parking lot, where she worked, parking her car and turned it off. "He's real and no fucking way am I high!"

"Drunk?"  
"I'm not!" She retorted.

Jeff took a deep, loud breath, and Ember let him be as he probably couldn't believe it as much as her.

Well I mean, an anime character appearing into your bedroom doesn't sound so normal, now does it?

Jeff stared at her, dead in the eye, asking one more question that would confirm how true all this is.

"Is this a prank?"

"This shit's real, I promise you."

Ember had a few extra minutes left before the actual time of her duty, so she kept the call ongoing. However, Jeff wasn't saying anything after that, either speechless or thinking she went crazy.

"To be honest, I don't believe it either, 'til I woke up this morning to see he's still in my floor, sleeping. I want to figure out how this happened," She said.

"Y-You're actually serious right now?" Jeff asked.

Ember nodded, sighing loudly as she slumped into her seat. She could hear Jeff pacing in his room muttering gibberish.

She let out a soft chuckle. "Crazy, right?"

"Super. Holy shit, hello?! An anime character, in real life? Ya sure that's not some weird stalker who just snuck into your house or something?" Jeff ranted on.

"100% sure," She replied. "Anyway, I gotta go to work. This will stay only between us for now, until I can get info on how this shit happened."

Ending the call, she let out a deep breath and walked out of her car, heading to her workplace with her thoughts on hoping Zoro at least saw her message.

•|•

After eating, Zoro stepped out of the room and decided to check the place. He was soon greeted by loud barking and angry growls, which he tried to ignore, as the dog didn't really dare to approach him.

Looking around, he noticed that the house looks different from usual homes he'd seen throughout their journey in the sea.

Photos framed and placed on top of shelves and hung on walls caught his interest as he continued his exploration.

"So this is her family," He mused as he held up one photo to get a closer look. One of the dogs barked at him again, and when he turned his head to shush him, he saw the door to the backyard.

Heading over, he saw a swimming pool and immediately opened the door to get out, the dogs following him.

"A pool!" He exclaimed and started stripping off his clothes, plunging into the cool, crystal clear water. Resurfacing, he ran a hand through his hair and wiped off the water in his face. He looked up at the bright sun, sunlight hitting the droplets in his wet skin that he seemed to glisten. He submerged more than half of his body into the water when he sat down and relaxed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I wonder how _they're_ doing," He sighed. "Maybe I should leave this house after this?"

•|•  
Franky steered the Sunny around the island while deploying Usopp with the Shark Submerge and Nami with the waver to look around and see if they'll find him on the ocean. 

  
At the ship, Luffy stood on the figurehead's nose and released fragments of his aura for Zoro to sense and somehow give back a reply, while Robin dug through her books and records to look for any information regarding the island's mysterious background, yet it seems to be unknown.

Sighing, she sat down on the sofa and pondered for a moment, when she suddenly remembered one of her connections that might have answers.

Robin rushed down to the kitchen, where Sanji silently cooked meals for everyone working hard. Not hardly bothered by Sanji's lack of courtesy today, she immediately used the Den Den Mushi and dialed the Revolutionary, Koala.

_Pururururu_ _..._ _Pururururu_ _.._

_Clank!_

"This is Nico Robin," She declared.

 _"_ _Robin-san_ _! What brings you to call?"_ Koala's cheerful voice replied.

"Pardon me for calling all of a sudden, but we have quite an urgent matter at the moment. I'd like to know if you have any information about Silatrop Island," She politely asked.

_"_ _Silatrop_ _? Oh! We actually have quite a thick record over here."_

Both Robin and Sanji, who unintentionally eavesdropped the conversation, brightened up at the response.

 _"I'll arrange a delivery through Karasu's crow, could you wait at least until tomorrow?"_ Koala added.

"Please do, thank you so much," Robin replied, then ended the call. Talking over the Den Den Mushi is very risky, as marines could tap into the conversation and track their locations.

Sanji walked up to her with a cup of coffee and two slices of sandwiches, placing them at the dining table.

"So that's what the island is called," Sanji mused.

"Oh, haven't I mentioned it to you?" Robin sat down and gave a curt nod to him before enjoying his treat.

"None of us knew, as I recalled, you never mentioned it."

"Hmm," She took a sip of her coffee and cupped it with both hands, its warmth not that strong which makes it okay to hold.

"Let's hope that we can get answers soon. I fear there's something much bigger behind Zoro's disappearance rather than that storm yesterday," Robin stared off into the distance.

•|•

Work was finally over, and the moment Ember turned on her car, she sped off towards back home in the fastest legal speed limit. Arriving, she immediately saw that lights were on, so for a short moment, she felt relieved–

Until she saw the door left open.

_Oh shit._

"Should've known he can't read English, I mean-" She grumbled on as she searched the whole house just in case he didn't actually leave there.

But there wasn't any sign of him at all, so she hurriedly ran outside and was about to get in her car when he saw him standing across the road, looking both ways.

"Zoro?!"

The swordsman heard the call and whipped his head to her direction, waving calmly. She gestured him to come over and smacked his head the instant he did.

"The heck was that for?!" 

"For going out when I told you _not_ to?!" She retorted. "God, I thought I lost you for a moment."

"The hell are you worried for? I'm not even from this place! I'm trying to get back to my crew! So stop telling me what I should and shouldn't do!" Zoro walked back inside, leaving her in shock and standing outside. 

That's right, why was she even trying to keep him in her room? He got lost, like the lost cause he is, and is trying to get back home. The audacity to think Zoro would even care about her–

  
"Oi," Zoro called, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You're gonna get a cold staying out for long, especially while wearing that."

Ember glanced at him, and then shyly rubbed her neck as she replied. "Y-Yeah, I'm coming in."

Dinner was awkwaaaaard. Both were eating at the dining room this time, seated across each other. The silence was killing Ember. All she could hear were clinks of utensils and crickets from outside. Fortunately, Zoro spoke up.

"I'm sorry for, you know, what I said back there. I get that you're just concerned about me, I don't know anything about this place after all," Zoro said.

She looked up with a disbelieving face. "Did you just apologize?"

That definitely wasn't what Zoro expected. "What do you mean?"

"Well I mean, considering your pride, I wasn't expecting you to apologize first," She replied with a restrained giggle.

"Oi, you're teasing me, aren't you?" He scowled, but it only made Ember fail to control her laughter and soon laughed out loud, Zoro sighing with a smirk. "You damned woman."

Ember's laugh died down as she suddenly had a realization.

"How long have you been outside?"

"Only around an hour, I think?" Zoro replied.

"But I was out the whole day. What were you doing an hour before you left?"

Zoro thought for a moment before replying with a scowl on his face. "Trying to find the way out."

Ember tilted her head in confusion. "The...what?"

When Zoro was about to add something, Ember shushed him and tried to talk through her urge to laugh again. "D-Don't tell me you got lost here!"

"It's not _my_ fault that your house is too damn big!"

That statement made Ember laugh out loudly as Zoro blushed madly with embarrassment, denying what she just said.

The two had drinks after that to make up and slept on the living room, side by side with one another comfortably on the floor, faces flushed with alcohol.


	4. Chapter 4

*  
 _Ember's thoughts_  
 **Zoro's thoughts**

_•|•_

Ember excitedly shook the sleeping male sprawled out on the floor, empty beer cans and a few bottles surrounding him.

"Zoro, wake up!" She told him.

Finally, Zoro's eyes twitched and flickered open, slowly sitting up and stretching out his arms, a loud yawn escaping him.

Ember placed her hands on her hips as she sighed. "Finally, took me quite a while to wake you up, or maybe I should've settled splashing water over you but ah- it'll make a mess here."

"What the hell are you blabbering about woman?" Zoro muttered with annoyance. "And isn't it too early?"

"It's 9 A.M, and I overslept, but I had plans for today," She replied, crouching down to his level, a grin that Zoro points out is the same grin Luffy wears when he has something stupid in mind.

Although Ember is not stupid of course, and neither is her plan for him.

"Get up, we're going shopping."

"Shopping?!"

•|•

Ember laughed out loudly as she drove to the mall, Zoro beside her with a furious scowl, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I get it but, this time we're shopping for _you,_ not for me. I've got enough clothes right now—"

"-And yet you chose to wear _that_ one?" Zoro referred to her shirt with Zoro on it, and she pulled her jacket over it.

"I-It's my favourite and the comfiest shirt I had," She pouted.

"Tsk," Zoro scoffed. "I could just wear your brother's clothes, why bother buy me my own ones?"

"You weren't even supposed to wear them, he left it there for his personal use," She replied, the mall in her sight, steering the car to the parking area. "We're here. Make sure to stay beside me, it'll be a pain in the neck if you get lost here."

"I don't get lost!"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"What's with that tone?!"

...

"Let's see; Ladies Clothes, ah! Zoro, turn left—LEFT, NOT RIGHT!" Ember grabbed the back of his shirt and stopped him from walking away with the shopping cart.

"Are you trying to strip me naked?!" Zoro cried.

"I said turn LEFT—ugh, I forgot, you're even worse than I thought," She sighed. "Come on, we'll go for t-shirts first, then pants and sho-"

"Oi, aren't you...Roronoa Zoro?"

Both Zoro and Ember froze in place, slowly turning around to see the owner of the voice.

"Green moss-like hair, a scar across the left eye–it's too realistic for a cosplay, I'm sure!"

 _No way, is he that obvious?_ Ember thought, but smiled widely upon realizing who it was.

"Dude, it's you!" She raised her hand to beckon a fist bump from the male. "Don't scare us like that."

He was dressed in a plain shirt and jacket, along with denim pants. He looked in his mid-20's and wasn't that much taller than her.

"You know this guy?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah," Ember replied. "He's a regular at the place where I worked at, and he's also a _fan_."

"O-Oh," Zoro nodded in realization. **No wonder he recognized me.**

"But I honestly didn't expect to see the infamous vice-captain of the Straw Hats here," The guy mused. "It's been a while since I met someone from where you came from."

_From where HE came from—_

"Dude wait," Ember interrupted, but the guy let out a nervous laugh and patted a hand on her shoulder. "Oops, I guessed I accidentally let that slip. Sorry for keeping it from you, Ember. The truth is—"

He cautiously looked around for other people, but found no one.

"—I'm not from here, either."

Ember gasped, and Zoro's eyes widened.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro. I am–"

•|•

The atmosphere lingering in the Sunny was depressing. They had been stressed looking for their swordsman everywhere.

At the moment, everyone was at the dining room, waiting for Sanji to finish cooking up lunch. Nami and Usopp were leaning against the green sofa. Chopper and Robin were beside each other on the dining table, while the rest sat by the counter with blank looks.

"At this rate, we already flipped the whole island looking for him," Usopp suddenly muttered, and Nami sighed in agreement, then looking over to their captain.

"How is he?" She asked.

The worst looking of them all was Luffy, whose eyes were shut tight, with Franky trying to keep him up. Constantly using his Haki in futile attempts to sense Zoro left him exhausted and could really use a good rest for a lot longer than his usual 10-minute requirement. His friends have been trying to persuade him to stop and rest, but the rubber captain was a stubborn little shit, and no one could go against him even if it would be for his own good. Though it looked like he finally gave in to the exhaustion.

"Real tired. He'll be up again in a few minutes I bet," Franky replied, trying to add a little cheerful tone but failed at it.

But what was even more noticeably sad was the lack of his cheerful attitude. None of the Straw Hats have seen him smile ever since they found out about Zoro's disappearance. It really increased the tension between them all; Luffy's carefree and optimistic personality was what always pulled their mental states through the hard stuff.

A loud caw came from outside, and Robin was fast enough to rush out of the room before Sanji could alert her about it, greeting the large crow with a thick parcel wrapped in paper.

"Robin? What's that?" Usopp asked, the others' attention soon shifting to her.

"It's a record of the island from the Revolutionary," She replied, her voice coated with hope.

"What?"

"You mean-"

The crow flew away as quickly as he came, and she rushed back to the dining table with the parcel while the rest soon surrounded her.

"I contacted them in hopes of getting information about Silatrop Island and luckily, they have a thick record of it," She said as she teared the wrapping away.

It was a folder full of documents and photos, which she spared no time to open and spread out onto the table. There were also profiles of people she soon recognized as Revolutionary agents.

The rest had so many questions but they kept it all to themselves for now.

Robin soon spotted a binded stack of papers with the front page titled in bold black letters;

 _**SILATROP** _ _**ISLAND INSPECTION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SECOND REVOLUTIONARY BASE** _

However, there was a huge red stamp over it that stated "MISSION ABORTED".

She immediately flipped a few pages and read it out loud.

"On the morning of _xx-xx-_ _xxxx_ _,_ ten agents were sent to Silatrop Island to conduct an inspection for the possible implementation of locating the second Revolutionary base there, with its reputation being an uninvestigated island and rumors of its mysterious background enough for people and even the World Government to avoid it."

Usopp and Nami looked at the other files, glancing at pictures here and there. Nami spotted a document with different profiles of people. Reading them one by one, she realized it must've been the said ten agents who were sent to the island.

Though the last profile was stamped "MISSING".

Robin scanned the document she had and skipped information that they wouldn't need.

"On the third day of the mission, nine agents retreated to the base, one reported missing with his last recorded trace on a cave at the northern side of the island. The said cave was only a hundred meters deep, the end being a dead end, yet the only trace found were footprints leading to the end. In light of the mysterious disappearance, the mission was called off to avoid further risks," Robin frowned.

"Oi," Usopp worriedly said. "Doesn't it sound similar to how Zoro disappeared?!"

"A cave at the northern side of the island," Brook trailed off. "That cave we went to actually _was_ in the north side of the island as well."

"Then did the same happen to Zoro?" Franky clarified.

Robin ran her fingers down paragraphs, looking for a clearer explaination on the disappearance. "A search party was launched for the missing agent, but he was nowhere to be found. Therefore, all further investigations were stopped, the agent presumed dead."

"No way," Nami sadly muttered.

Robin then added. "And his name was....."

•|•

"–Akiteru Gil, a Revolutionary agent."

Ember and Zoro gasped.

_Then that means–_   
**Then that means–**

"You know how I got here?!"  
"You know how he got here?!" Both asked at once, overwhelming Gil.

"Y-Yeah, sort of. Hmm, lemme guess; you wandered off into this big, uninhabited island and explored a cave when suddenly a bright light came from the end of the cave and all of a sudden you're in this unfamiliar new place?" He replied.

"That's how it happened!" Zoro snapped his fingers.

"It's what happened to me," Gil said.

Ember soon fell silent with a realization.

_Then that means...he'll be leaving soon?_

...

Shopping plans forgotten (or rather, postponed), the three now currently hung out at a nearby café for drinks while Gil discussed to them about the portal situation and how he got into the real world.

"As I could recall, it was four years ago, around this time of the year too," He said. "You surely have quite the luck, Roronoa."

Ember handed out the drinks she bought for them as he went on. "The Revolutionary was looking forward to making that island our secondary base due to its reputation, but then we stumbled upon something we shouldn't have."

"That cave.." Zoro muttered, and Ember perked up. "I do remember walking up to a cave I found when looking for shelter during that shitty storm."

"It was where I disappeared into too," He drank some of the coffee Ember gave him. "I bet my comrades assumed I'm dead now."

Ember glanced at Zoro, then proceeded to ask. "Uhm, have you ever tried to find a way back?"

"Oh yeah I did," He replied. "But the thing is, those portals can only be opened under special circumstances like an appearance of a 'rare comet', a 'lunar eclipse', or other fancy astronomical events that somehow give the people in this reality a sense of fantasy."

Gil then slammed down his drink, nearly spilling it. "But in the _other_ side, where we came from, Roronoa, is a different story. There's no need for it to go along a special event. As this dimension overlaps ours, you'll eventually be pulled back to your real world, you just have to wait for it."

"Wait really?" Zoro beamed, then suddenly realized something. "Then, why are you still here?"

"Because I chose to," Gil grinned proudly. "I like this reality. It's a whole other level from ours, and it's peaceful."

Gil then took another sip from his drink, the grin fading as quickly as it came, making Ember sense that something feels off. Zoro was too preoccupied with feeling hopeful on being able to get back to the crew, so he didn't notice how he stole a millisecond glance at him with worried eyes.

 _Is Gil hiding something? Nah, there's no way! I know him, he's a good person, I'm probably just overthinking stuff,_ Ember thought as she eased her worries away by sipping on her drink.

 _But Zoro looks so happy, he wouldn't stay here much longer after all,_ her lips tug upwards forming a small smile.

_Though I wish he'd get to stay longer._

_•|•_

_It's no question as to why I feel so bummed out,_ Ember conversed to herself internally, cooking up a meal while Zoro meddled with his new clothes; they ended up buying after that talk with Akiteru Gil.

 _He's my anime husbando! I love the guy, heck, I even made a wedding video on TikTok,_ She went on, turning off the stove and getting a plate to put the food on. _It's literally a dream come true for this to happen, and yet it's gonna end so soon._

Her thoughts were put on a halt when she heard her phone ring. It was Jeffery.

"Heyooow," Jeff's cheery voice rang.

"Hey," She greeted back, putting the phone up to her face level.

"How did your shopping with Zoro go?" He asked, bringing up a plate of food on his side, as he sat on the dining table.

"Bastard's sense of direction was really the worst, and here I thought it was just an exaggeration for comedic purposes," She scoffed, leaning the phone on a secure place as she prepared the table for dinner. "I told him, loud and clear, to go LEFT, and he goes RIGHT?! He's gotta be kidding me!"

"Hahahahah! That sounds annoying to deal with!" Jeff started eating, which reminded her. "Zoro! Dinner's ready!"

Zoro passed by Ember's phone a few moments after, which made Jeffery choke on his own food, now coughing loudly and repeatedly hitting his own chest as his other hand quickly grabbed a glass of water.

The little ruckus caught Zoro's attention, and Ember hurried over to her phone. "Hey, you good?"

"Y..Yeah," Jeff managed to reply, soon relieved from the shock. "I didn't expect to see him so soon, it surprised me."

"What's that?" Zoro's brows furrowed.

"It's a phone, and this is my friend, Jeffery," She showed him the phone, to which Jeff on the screen waved energetically. "Hi Zoro! It's a pleasure to see you!"

"Oh, uh, uhn, likewise," He gave a curt nod, making her giggle at the shy reaction.

"I didn't show him the phone yet, he's confused," She told Jeff.

Dinner went on with Ember and Jeff talking while trying to initiate a conversation with Zoro too, but he kept denying her and just tried to eat his meal.

When Zoro finally passed out asleep on Ember's bed, her positive facade crumbled. She then discussed to Jeff what happened earlier, and he empathized with her.

"All good things come to an end, as they say," Jeff said.

"But I at least want to make our remaining time together memorable. You know? Do something stupid, or whatever," She sighed.

"You can't know when he'll leave?"

Ember shook her head.

"Then spend every single day as if it's his last day here!" Jeff beamed. "Ah, but then you have work–ask for a week, or a month off!"

"That's too much," She chuckled. "Well, I'll see what I can do."

"By the way, the others are getting worried. You haven't posted for a while," He reminded.

"I'll try to make up for it, but now, my hands are full on this idiot," She stared at Zoro sleeping. "It's getting late, you should sleep already."

"Good night then. I'll call you tomorrow," Jeff said before dropping the call. She turned off her phone and sat at the edge of the bed, noticing how peaceful he looked in his sleep.

"As if it's...his last..huh," She trailed off.


	5. Chapter 5

Zoro waited for Ember on her car, gazing at the cloudy sky, his thoughts going over the conversation they had with Gil the other day.

_"As this dimension overlaps ours, you'll eventually be pulled back to your real world, you just have to wait for it."_

**Wait until when?**

"Hey," Ember got inside the car, and handed a small box to Zoro. "This is yours."

"What's this?" He asked as he tried to open it. Inside was a device similar to the one he saw Ember had, when she talked with a friend.

"It's a phone. Simply put, it's like the Den Den Mushi you guys have, but _this_ shit right here has more features," She explained, showing him how to operate it. "I know you get lost all the damn time-"

"Oi," Zoro retorted.

"-so this will track your location for me, that way, I can easily find you wherever you go. Also, I can just call you whenever I can," She added, ignoring the deadly stare he's giving her. "I got work all day, and you'd die of boredom alone here at home, so I decided to finally let you explore."

She turned on her car and started driving. Zoro pointed his thumb behind their seats, and asked, "Why does it look like you're kicking me out though? What's with the bag?"

"You love working out right?" Ember grinned.

...

They entered the place full of different kinds of exercise equipments, men and women working out individually.

"Oh, a public gym, huh," Zoro mused, slinging his bag on his shoulder, while Ember took out her wallet. "Figured you miss 'training'."

"Hell yeah I do," He looked around, observing the place.

Ember walked up to the counter and prepaid everything, then walked back to Zoro. "How long do you usually work out?"

"Around-"

"Oh, if it isn't Roronoa and Ember!" They spun around to see Gil all sweaty in gym clothes and holding a towel.

"Gil!" Both greeted in unison.

"It's been quite a while," He beamed. "Are you two gonna work out?"

"Nope, just him," Ember patted a hand on Zoro's shoulder.

"Do you come around here regularly?" Zoro asked him.

"Well, yeah," Gil grinned. "Oh, I'll show you around!"

"Then I'll leave him to you, Gil," Ember asked. "Would it be okay for you?"

"Sure, I'll keep an eye on him," He answered.

"Oi, I don't need a babysitter," Zoro retorted, and Gil laughed.

"Not _necessarily_ looking after you, just guiding you know how to use the equipment here and all," He led him towards the locker area, then Ember left for work, but not before glancing at them one more time.

"Alright!" Gil stretched out his limbs as Zoro looked around for the weights.

He looked for the heaviest weight plate available, then tried lifting two of it before getting disappointed. "Oi, is this the heaviest they got?"

When Gil saw what he held, with one hand, he gasped. "How the hell are you lifting that with one arm?!"

"It's light," Zoro stated.

"Zoro that's two hundred pounds," He deadpanned.

"Pounds are nothing, I work out with tons," He set the plates down and looked for more, Gil soon remembering his reputation of having monstrous strength, just like his captain.

He sighed. This workout is gonna get more exhausting than usual.

With Zoro left to Gil, Ember drove away to work, and yet somehow, her thoughts would go wild, imagining the sight of Zoro shirtless while lifting heavy weights.

She shook those thoughts away when she felt her cheeks heat up a bit. Trying to focus on driving, she subconsciously thought about places they could go instead, like going out on a restaurant—oh she bet he'd love the local bar.

"Just like dating...?" She trailed off. None of them knew how much longer he'd be spending time here, so she realized, if she wanna make those daydreams and anime-edited instagram photos of hers finally come to life, she need to take advantage of this chance.

"That's it. I'm making a bucket list," She declared to herself as she parked her car, arriving at where she worked.

...

She got off work at night and texted Gil she's gonna pick Zoro up — it was a good thing that she remembered asking for his number the other day they met.

_We'll wait for you at the_  
_café_ _we went before._

_I'm almost there._

_Okay._

"Hi," Gil greeted, Zoro standing behind him, waving to her.

Ember unlocked the passenger side's door for Zoro, nodding a bit. "Sorry for the trouble."

"It's fine, I'm glad to hang out with him today," He replied, then patted Zoro's shoulder. "So I'll take my leave. See ya, Zoro!"

"Yeah, see you too," Zoro smiled, and Ember perked up at the response. "Oh, you guys got along, huh."

"He's a good guy," He settled comfortably in his seat, Ember driving to home. "How was work?"

"Oh, ugh, fine, I guess. Just kinda tired," She wasn't expecting him to ask about it, guess he cares for her a bit after all. "What about you? Did you two spend the whole day at the gym?"

"No, he showed me around the place," He replied. "There's so many things I've never seen before, your world is pretty nice."

"Hmm," She hummed, then beamed at him. "How 'bout we spend the whole day exploring tomorrow?"

"Really? But you got work," Zoro retorted. She shrugged her shoulders and replied. "I could work something out."

"You don't have to do this," He frowned, to which she shook her head with a small laugh. "It's fine, it's fine. Besides, I wanna spend more time with you before...you know.."

"Oh, right," He leaned against the car seat. "Do you think I'll be able to go back soon?"

Ember pursed her lips together, not wanting to give him false hope or something, nor even talking about it. With a heavy sigh, she then answered.

"Yeah, I think you will."

  
•|•

The next few days, Zoro and Ember went to many places and tried a lot of things that weren't in their world, some that amused Zoro so much she had to pull him away from there. As the days passed, they both got closer to each other. Despite being a fan and literally in love with Zoro, there were things she didn't know about him, like how he was actually a good singer (The look on her shocked face when he heard him sing), or how he was quite good at handling kids, and how he's actually caring despite being a tough and seemingly strict guy on the outside.

There were times that Zoro would wander off without Ember, but with the help of the phone she gave him, she could track his location easily. And she would laugh as he would deny getting lost, as he always does.

When Ember would go to work, she'd leave him in Gil's watch, who wouldn't mind the company as they would either go to the gym together or hang out at his place. Gil lived alone since he got in this reality and was adjusting quite well. Sometimes, Zoro would ask him more about how to go home and such, but he couldn't give anymore helpful answers than what he told them.

Of all the places Ember and Zoro went to, he especially loved the bar, but some cocky boys ruined the experience and he almost caused quite a commotion. Even without his swords (It took Ember a whole day to convince him not to bring it along on their 'dates'), he was a good fighter after all.

"Zoro, for fuck's sake!" Ember dragged him out of the place by the scruff of his neck. "You're such a pain in the ass!"

"I keep telling you they were the one who started it!" He retorted, yanking her hand away and walked on his own.

" _You_ were the one who walked up to them and punched the guy outta nowhere!" She got inside the car.

"Because they were talking shit about you, and I couldn't stand it," He got in himself, huffing grumpily in his seat.

"Then you-What?" Her voice softened.

He awkwardly rubbed his nape and looked away. "I couldn't stand them disrespecting you, talking about your ass and something else."

"I...Thanks," She mumbled, starting the car, driving home. "I'm sorry. I should've asked what happened."

"Nah," He let out a sigh. "It's fine, I should've known to stay out of trouble anyway."

There was an awkward silence, then suddenly, Ember exclaimed. "Hey, why don't we go to the beach tomorrow?!"

...

The sun wasn't up yet, and the wind blew strong against Ember's thick clothes, wrapping her arms around her. She sat on the sand while Zoro was walking towards the waves. He kicked off his boots, and dipped his feet into the water, Ember seeing the scars above his ankles in reality for the first time.

She wasn't so sure if bringing him to the sea was a good idea, as it would remind him of his crew. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rested her cheek against them and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Are you gonna sit around all day? Might as well didn't go here if you wouldn't enjoy," Zoro teased, walking further to greet the waves, pulling his pants higher.

"Shut up, lemme be for a moment," She huffed tiredly. "Ah, I should still be asleep around this hour."

"Oi Ember, look!" She looked up and saw him pick up something from the shore, raising it up in the air. "I found a ring!"

Rays of sunlight pierced through the sky as the sun finally began to rise slowly. With Zoro's back facing it, it made him seem like he was glowing. The ring he held sparkled, and he had a smile on his face.

Ember was simply staring at how beautiful and magical he looked at that moment like he just came from another world.

Well duh.

She was too dazed to even notice him heading over to her, only snapping awake when he shook her shoulders. "Oi, wake up."

"Ah! What-" She got startled.

"I think you fell asleep with your eyes open," He joked. Ember gave him a little punch in the chest, standing up and looking at the ocean. They were silent for a few moments when she then turned to Zoro, who had a somewhat longing expression on his face.

"You miss them, don't you?" _Well, that's stupid, Ember. Of course, he does,_ she thought to herself as a wave of embarrassment hit her after saying that. But Zoro chuckled and answered, "Yeah. I wonder what they're doing right now."

"Looking for you of course!" She beamed. "They wouldn't stop until they find you, that's why-"

Ember's eyes widened, feeling a mild squeeze in her own chest. Zoro let out a small hum, confused why she suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" He asked. She let out a forced laugh and said, "Nothing! Oh look at the time, we should be heading home now."

...

It was late at night, Ember just got off work and was in the middle of a call with Jeffery. Zoro was upstairs in her room, cleaning his swords.

"Gabe would lose his shit when he knows about this!"

Ember laughed, "Yeah, I bet he would."

"Oh, and Sydney kept on asking me about you," Jeff told her. "Saying you've been pretty inactive lately."

"I'll try to get back as soon as I can," She sighed. "Zoro and I have been hanging out lately."

"Ohooo," He smirked. "I see..."

"What," She deadpanned. " _You_ were the one who told me to hang out with him 'every single day'."

"And I didn't expect you to take it too seriously," He chuckled, then leaned his head on his hand, sighing. "Ah, you're living the dream huh."

She cast her eyes downward, "Yeah. Living a dream that will end soon."

"Aren't you gonna tell the others about him?" He asked.

"The fewer people know, the better," She answered. "So when he disappears so suddenly, it wouldn't be too noticeable, and no one gets attached."

There was a brief silence.

"What about you?" He asked.

What about _her_ , who became so attached considering it only had been a week since he stumbled upon this world.

What about _her_?

"I'll be fine! No worries, I spent so much time with him and it felt like a second life living with him," She grinned, though Jeff knew it wasn't a genuine one. He decided not to pry further, and played along.

"Oh wow, how poetic of you," Jeff teased. "But seriously though, whatever happens, I'll be just a call away, okay?"

"I know," She replied, feeling thankful for how supportive Jeff is to her. He stretched out his arms and yawned, "So uh, I better get going, I stayed up late watching anime last night."

"Sure thing, good night," She wave, ending the call. Just when she was about to head off to Zoro, her phone rang.

It was Sydney calling.

"Ember!"

"Hi, Sydney, what's up?" She answered the video call, Sydney scoffed as she replied. "What do you mean 'what's up', _I_ should be the one asking you that. You hardly update on your social media accounts, I'm getting worried."

"Oh, sorry about that. I was just too busy with stuff, that's all," She sat down and opened a can of beer, on cue, Zoro suddenly entering the kitchen probably to get one for himself. 

"What kind of stuff?" Sydney drew closer to her camera, and Ember laughed. "Nothing sus. I'll try to update soon, my followers probably miss me already."

"Of course they'd miss you, Mrs. Roronoa!" Ember choked on her drink while Zoro whipped his head to her, one hand about to open the fridge, visible confusion all over his face. Mrs. Roronoa?

"S-Syd *cough* Sydney! Come on *cough*don't do me like that," She tried to hide her embarrassment. Zoro _just had_ to be there when she said that. 

"Aw come on, you love it when I call you that-"

"OH SHIT I FORGOT MY HOT POCKETS AT THE MICROWAVE," She abruptly stood up and ran over to Zoro, who was behind the phone, which is outside of the camera. He smirked at her and she hurriedly pushed him away, whispering, "I'll get you more beer if you keep out of the kitchen, go, go!"

"Whatever," He walked out, though, with Ember's reaction, he confirmed what he thought he misheard.

**Mrs. Roronoa, huh...** **What was** **_that_ ** **all about?**

**Oh fuck, I forgot to get a beer.**

Luckily, there were a few hot pockets left that were microwaved a few minutes ago, so she took them with her and intentionally putting it on Sydney's sight, yet when her eyes saw the screen, Sydney was grinning.

"What?" Ember acted dumb as if she didn't just intentionally scream loudly for her neighbors to hear. 

"You're acting weird."

"Honey, I'm a crackhead, I'm always weird," She ate while answering. 

"Does this have to do with what Jeff told me this morning?" Ember almost choked again.

"Jeffery told you?!"

"Aha! I knew it!" Sydney exclaimed, and Ember frowned in confusion.

Sydney crossed her arms over her chest, and said, "Jeff told me nothing at all, I just tricked you, and it seems you really _are_ keeping something between you two. Now spill."  
Ember sighed in defeat. "Fuck."

"Ember, are you drunk?" was what Sydney said the moment Ember finished telling her everything. "Or is this a new skit you're planning for your page?"

"Look, I know it's crazy, but it's real," Ember replied calmly.

"Mmm, yeah," She pursed her lips, twirling her fingers as she thought. "Or, it's the other way around, you know? The reality-shifting thing...Did you pull that off?"

"I think it would be better if I show you," She got up and called for Zoro, who came a few moments later.

"First you tell me to avoid the kitchen, now call me back?" He complained, Ember hearing a scrambled shuffle from Sydney's side, and saw that she was at the edge of her seat, her mouth agape in shock.

"Girl, you good?" Ember laughed, amused at the reaction.

"Holy fucking shit," Sydney cursed, laughing hysterically. "I can't believe it, I can't believe it. How the fuck did this happen?"

"I just told you _how_ ," Zoro awkwardly waved a hand at the camera. "I'm Roronoa Zoro. Nice to meet you, I guess."   
  
"Sydney, nice to meet you too," She recomposed herself, sitting properly on her seat. "I can't believe this is actually happening right now." 

Ember grabbed a can of beer and handed it to Zoro. "Okay, thanks, now go, we still have to talk about something." 

"Are you actually serious right now?!" Zoro angrily huffed as he swiped it off her hands, and she only laughed off the reaction. "You better not call me again just for this."

"I'm sorrryyy," She playfully apologized, then went back to her call. Before Zoro could climb up the stairs, he heard Sydney say, "Will he stay here forever?"

He stopped in his tracks, one hand on the railing as the other held the can. 

"No, he'll be going back to the crew. Although, we don't know when," He heard Ember's reply.

"Then that's great! You could spend a lot of time while he's still here, like how you always dreamed of," Came Sydney's enthusiastic reply, which shocked him. He stomped off before he could even hear Ember's reply.

"No, it's not," Ember shook her head, nibbling on a hot pocket. "He's been here for so long, it's making him stressed out about how the crew's doing right now when he's missing on their side."

She thought about those moments when she would wake up in the middle of the night and find him frowning in his sleep, muttering names of his friends. She would give him gentle pats to soothe him or something like that, and it would make the frown fade back to a relaxed expression. Ember would never forget the other time they went to the sea and saw him staring out into the distance with a longing expression. She never saw this side of the man before and it hurt her despite feeling so happy to see him real.

"I'm sorry for saying that," Sydney said, and Ember made a small smile. "It's okay."

"It's getting late, I should probably go," Sydney waved. "You better make up to him, I could feel his annoyance from here a while ago."

"Thanks for checking up on me," Ember replied before the call then ended. Turning off her phone, she grabbed more beers and rushed to her room.

"Heeey," She excitedly pushed the door open, greeting Zoro with a smile. "I got us some..."

He was sitting by the open window, moonlight so bright it lit up the room (yeah the lights were off), illuminating his face, which was in between a blank expression and a frown. Immediately, Ember felt her enthusiasm starting to fade. She walked in and placed the cans on the table. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all," He took a new one and drank it fiercely. She sighed and placed one hand over her hips as she confronted him. "Zoro, I know something's wrong right now. You're not that good at hiding feelings."

"I could probably say the same thing to you," He retorted, to which she ignored. She walked to her aquarium and gave her pet turtle some food before she asked.

"Are you thinking about them again?" He perked up. "What about it?"

"I'm just asking, chill," She shrugged. She heard him sigh loudly and then leaned against the chair he sat on. "It's taking so long for me to get back. I wonder if I would still be able to."

"Hey, don't lose hope," She replied. "Gil said-"

"I know what Gil said,' He cut her off coldly. "No need to repeat it."

She flinched at the attitude, turning to him. "Did I...do something wrong?"

Zoro didn't bother to reply, which slightly annoyed her. "If I _did_ do or say something wrong, I'm sorry for it."

"You don't want me to leave...Don't you?"

The question caught her off-guard. "Wha...What are you talking about, Zoro? I do! But I can't do anything else right now. Believe me, if I could, I would've done it already."

_Did he hear what Sydney said a while ago?!_

"Our only clue as to what happened to you is only Gil, which is why we don't have a choice but to trust him and rely on what he told us," She added. "I know him for quite a long while now, he's a good guy."

"The fact that he's still here despite knowing that we could just go back doesn't sit right with me," He said in a low voice. "You're trusting him a bit too much."

"Do you think he's lying?" She asked.

"More like hiding something," He replied. 

"I absolutely see no reason why he should," She stood beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him and see if I could get more stuff about this. You'll get back home soon, I'm sure."

"But when will _that_ happen?!" Zoro slammed the can on the table, making her flinch. "It's almost a month and I'm still here!"

He turned around and was about to add more when he noticed Ember's surprised–no–

Why does she seem on the verge of tears?

Did he actually frighten her _that_ much?

"I...I'm sorry. It's just that, my friends are probably going nuts looking for me right now," He sighed, settling down. "They're a bunch of stubborn idiots who wouldn't give up until they find me."

Ember silently stared at him, then walked to her bed.

"I know. That's how they've always been, after all," She let out a small comforting chuckle, shaking away the startle Zoro gave her. "You're all the same. When anyone of you gets into trouble, you all help out each other, and that's one of the things I love about you guys. You'll see them again soon, I'm sure," She flopped onto the soft foam, putting one arm over her eyes. "We'll have to wait for it patiently, though."

After a long silence, Zoro let out a huff and threw a can to her, which she swiftly caught. "Yeah, I guess I don't have a choice anyway."

He stood and walked up beside her, raising the can, inviting her to 'cheers'. "I hope you'll bear with me for a little longer," He grinned. She sat up and raised her can as well, "As long as you want."  
  
...

Zoro stood right in front of the bed, Ember still snoring as a drunk blush stained her face. 

"Get up."

Ember stirred, taking a deep breath as she stretched out, opening her eyes and met his gaze, and brushed up her hair, replying, "Why?"

"It's time to go train," He replied, confusing Ember. She reached out for her phone and looked at the time. "Train for what? Zoro it is 6 in the fucking morning."

"You're the one that said you wanted to learn three-swords-style," He shrugged.

"When did I say that?" She retorted, her eyes half-open, craving to go back to sleep.

"Last night."

 _Last night?_ Ember's mind went back to yesterday's events, remembering Zoro's little rant which, after their conversation, they proceeded to drink the night away. Now she knew why her head throbbed so much.

"We drank so much last night, I'm sure I said a bunch of things," She said.

Zoro sighed, "Your exact words were 'I could do three-swords-style! We're training tomorrow!'"

She stared off at him with a look of disbelief. What the actual fuck did she got herself into? Zoro was actually serious about it. Well, perhaps, it _does_ involve something he loves.

"How are you not hungover?" That was all she replied.

"Get up!" Zoro demanded, ignoring her whine of rebellion. "And bring those with you," he added, jerking his head to the fake swords she displayed beside her bed.

They went out to their backyard, as Zoro stood stiffly while Ember unsheathed the swords from their scabbards. "Alright, now put it in your mouth."

"Heh, you know what I can put in my mouth?" She playfully smirked, to which he didn't react at all.

"Food, I meant FOOD. We haven't eaten anything," She said. "Can we at least do this after breakfast?"

"Just do it," Zoro was obviously getting annoyed.

She sighed, biting fake Wado as she held the other two. Firmly gripping on the two, she stepped back and got into a pose similar to him—or at least, _trying_ to pose like him, because she just realized how confusing it was for her. Watching him do it in the anime was sooo easy, or so she thought.

"Now strike," Zoro said.

She let out muffles as she lowered her arms and took out the sword she was biting.

"How do you do this?!"

"Yeah, you need more training," He ignored the question, eyeing her up and down.

"And you need a dentist!" She retorted, putting a finger to soothe her teeth. "Ow!"

•|•

Robin just finished reading the last statement of the Revolutionary's concluding report for the Silatrop case, everyone in shock that they could hear the waves lapping against the anchored Sunny.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the island has a very unreal secret; on the cave was an interdimensional portal that would occasionally appear, allowing travel between worlds to exist. Since this was later on confirmed, there was a note informing to request changing the status of the agent from 'dead' to 'missing'.

The deafening silence was soon interrupted by Luffy's laughter, everyone else's heads whipped towards him. He clutched his stomach as he continued to laugh, throwing his head back as small tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

"Luffy?!" Franky worriedly asked.

"L-Luffy lost it!" Usopp cried.

"Luffy, stay sane! We'll get him back, we swear!" Nami grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Luffy raised a hand as he tried to say. "N-No, I'm fine. It's just...HAHAHAHA!"

"Luffy-san, we'll get him back, alright?" Brook attempted to reassure him, but he took a step backward.

"Zoro's such an idiot!" He blurted out between his fits of laughter. "How the hell do you get lost in another world?! Only _he_ could pull that off!"

Sanji stifled a burst of laughter urging to come out, but he thought it would be rude. The rest exchanged looks, their lips curling up and the mood soon lightened up, worries fading away.

"Yeah, only Zoro could pull that off, indeed," Usopp sat down on the sofa. "Among us, that is."

"So, what now?" Franky asked.

"Maybe we should check out the cave one more time?" Chopper suggested.

"At this time of the day? No, we should be resting right now," Sanji shook his head.

"But there's no harm in checking it out, right?" Nami argued. "And the island is pretty safe as we know it."

"I'll go," Luffy stood up, earning frowns from his crew. "What?! I won't do anything stupid."

"That's like telling us you wouldn't eat anymore," Usopp deadpanned.

"Shut up!"

"I'll go too," Nami raised a hand. "Anyone else?"

"I'll go with you Nami-swaaaaan!" Sanji twirled excitedly.

...

"Over here," Nami pushed through the thick bushes and stopped at the entrance of the cave. Sanji followed Luffy proceeding to enter it and walked until he reached the end, tapping the solid wall of stone. "Nothing's happening!" He whined.

"Well of course dumbass, we can't do anything about it but wait for changes," Sanji replied, looking around.

"Maybe we should just go back again tomorrow?" Sanji suggested, earning a nod from Nami. "Luffy, let's go."

He obliged, and the three of them were about to head back to the Sunny when Luffy noticed a faint white glow of light from the cave.

"Oi, what's happening?!" Luffy tugged Nami's arm, and she turned to see a bright light coming from the cave.

"The hell?!" Sanji shielded his eyes from the light.

When it died down, they ran back and immediately saw a shadowed figure coming out of it.

"Zoro? Is that you?" Nami cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6 will be coming soon, I'm finishing it as soon as I can!


	6. Special Chapter: Mafia OP spinoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on Episode 4 of the Mugiwara Theater: No Respect Time where the Straw Hats are mafias. @nori31291404 on Twitter made this AMAZING fanart of that special where instead of cute little chibis are the grown-up version of themselves (and the Monster Trio looks so damn hot). I showed it to Senpai and she said she'd love to be in a mafia with Zoro, so this immediately came to me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on being able to publish chapters 5 and 6 soon, although they're pretty lengthy I had my drafts ready and got a good idea of how it's gonna flow. I don't want the characters to be too OOC which is why I take quite long on writing my fanfics. 
> 
> To Senpai, I wasn't expecting you to see this so soon, but I'm glad you like it! I'll do my best for the 6 remaining chapters! Thank you!

Bullets rained as opposing forces shot against each other across an abandoned four-story building.

"These guys are good!" Don Roronoa Zoro, leader of the Zorocia Mafia Family, let out a murderous laugh as he shot the pursuing gunners hiding behind concrete pillars. Ember, his most-skilled member of the family, took out another gun from her side-pocket and peeked one eye from the wall she hid on, successfully shooting three men straight through the head.

"You really just _had_ to start a fucking war, you dumbass!" She cursed at Zoro, who only shrugged and tossed her a spare set of bullets for her guns. They were quickly running out of ammo. Her white top with puffy sleeves was now stained with dirt and blood of her enemies, black pants and boots dusty from the explosions she set off many times now. 

The whole commotion started when the three main mafia leaders: Monkey D. Luffy of the Luffione family, Vinsmoke Sanji of the Sanjino family, and Roronoa Zoro of the Zorocia family, had a meeting with regards to deciding who should be the new leader of the island. It began rather calmly, few bickers from Luffy and Sanji which eventually got worse, until Zoro carelessly declared to start a war, the two agreeing.

Immediately, the three families went for each other's heads the same day, the Vinsmoke family wiped out first. Now Luffy forces started to corner the Roronoa family this time, most of his men killed already.

"Nami got annihilated, but she did well defeating Vinsmoke Sanji," Ember reloaded her guns, a bullet grazing past her shoulder, making her wince.

"Ember!" Zoro gasped.

"I'm okay, it's just a scratch," She reassured, biting off the lock of a hand grenade and throwing it towards the enemies, screams going off as it exploded.

Zoro took off his black coat, leaving only his striped shirt half-open and the green scarf hanging from his neck, exposing his chest and the scar that ran across it. He surveyed their line of sight when the gunners briefly stopped, to which Zoro assumed they will inspect to see if they got killed.

Ember nervously ran a hand through her short lavender hair, the sudden eerie silence sending chills up to her spine. She pressed a handkerchief over the wound, the white staining red as quickly as she placed it over. Zoro grabbed it from her hand and folded it horizontally, tying it around the wound instead.

He looked so worried, so Ember poked his cheek. "Are you scared?"

"Cut it out," He pushed her hand away. "We're not safe yet."

She glanced outside the room and spotted a few enemies running in different directions, then looked back and said, "When we get the chance, let's head over to the private beach. There should be a hidden boat we can use to get off the island." But Zoro frowned and she damn knew why, so she added before he could say anything else.

"Zoro, fuck it. For once in your life, forget about your pride, we're obviously outnumbered. Heck, I think the two of us are the only ones left, and Luffy will stop at nothing to hunt us down."  
  
"Tch, damn it. Then where would we go?"

"Anywhere away from here. The world is vast," She grinned, but it quickly faded when she heard faint footsteps getting louder, her reflexes kicking in, one arm protectively pushing Zoro behind her, the other with her handgun aimed from the direction it came from. Out came a woman with long black hair and in a purple suit, her white sandals stained with blood.

"Robin! You're okay!" Relief washed over Ember, failing to notice her right arm hidden behind her. Zoro's eyes widened and quickly pushed Ember down just as a bullet flew past his ear, embedding into the metal wall behind where he was just seconds ago.

Robin clicked her tongue at the mishap but fell to her knees when a loud bang erupted. Zoro shot her right in the chest.

"Damn traitor," He recomposed himself, checking up on Ember, who only stared in shock at the fallen body of her supposed ally. He roughly cupped her face and made her look at him straight in the eye. "Snap out of it. You're right, it's just you and me now."  
  


_You and me.  
  
_

"Luffy must've bribed her, or something like that," He added. "Anyway, this is our chan-"

"There they are!" Both snapped their heads left and right respectively, quick enough to shoot the enemies before they could. Leaning against each other's back, Ember took deep breaths and said. "You're the only one I trust now. I'll follow you no matter what."  
  
"And you won't regret that," Zoro replied. 

"Let's force our way out of here, blow these motherfuckers up along with the whole place."  
  
"Damn," He chuckled. "Okay, how many grenades do you have left?"

She patted her pockets and answered, "Three."

"Perfect."

Without warning, he cupped her face and leaned forward to kiss her, Ember returning the kiss. When he pulled away, she teasingly asked, "What was that all about?"

Loud shouts erupted, as more backup forces came, almost surrounding the entire building. 

"They're on the top floor!"

"Don't hesitate to shoot on sight! Don Luffy's orders!"

"Whoever gets Roronoa's head has a billion berries waiting for them!"

Zoro and Ember stood with their backs against each other, facing opposite directions as they held the grenades, patiently waiting for the perfect timing. The window just meters away from them was wide open, each of them having one foot forward, ready to run when they set those off. 

"Just in case we don't survive this, I want you to know I love you," Zoro grinned. 

"I love you too, but we _will_."

Soon enough, the footsteps grew louder and they were surrounded on both sides, guns aimed at them.  
  
"Nowhere to run now-" One of the men bragged, but he was cut off when he realized what they were holding. 

"Oh shit-"  
  
"RUN!"

_Sayonara fuckers_ , both let out maniacal smiles as they threw the grenades towards them and bolted for the large window, holding hands. The explosion set off seconds later, the shockwave had them flying off as they successfully killed the gunners. 

Below was luckily open water, so both braced for the safe fall. 

They found the boat and were now sailing away from the island, a trail of smoke coming from the building they jumped off from.

"Well that was exciting," Ember joked, and Zoro chuckled as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.  
  


"So, where to now?"  
  
"Anywhere, as long as I'm with you. Your shitty sense of direction can take us someplace amazing," She hummed.  
  
"Oi, the fuck did you say?" Zoro snarled, but Ember laughed it off, his annoyance quickly fading. They looked at the wide ocean ahead of them, the midday sun shining above them as seagulls cawed and flew past. 

"Wanna get married when we find a new home?" Zoro suddenly proposed, surprising Ember. A warm feeling bubbled inside of her before she beamed and answered, "Sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short I know, but I'll make it up to the upcoming updates.


End file.
